Metal container



March l5, 1932. w F. PUNTE' METAL CONTAINER vFiled NOV. 1l, 1930 Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'WILLIAM F. PUNTE, OF SYBACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 CONTINENTAL CAN COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METAL CONTAINER Application led November 11, 1930. Serial No. 494,968.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in easy opening metal containers. wherein the cover is secured to the container body by a sealing ring.

An object of the invention is to provide -a container of the above type with a sealing material so arranged that the sealing ring makes Contact therewith and establishes through the aid of said sealing materiala seal for the container whereby when said sealing ring is removed the seal will be broken thus permitting the cover to be easily removed from the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide an easy opening container of the above type wherein the cover is so constructed as to make friction ieclosure with the container body.

In the drawings VFig. 1 is a sectional view through a container embodying the improvements.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the upper portion of the container. With the ring applied and prior to the turning of the flange to compress the sealing material.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the flange inturned to compress the material for establishing the seal.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a container after it is sealed.

Fig. 5 is a plan 'view of a portion of a blank l from which the strip is formed.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a slightly modified arrangement of construction.

The invention is directed to a container consisting of a body portion having an open end and the metal at the open end of the'body portion is bent preferably inwardly so as to form a bead and conceal the raw edge of the-A metal. The body is provided 4with a bend in the wall thereof forming a shoulder on the outer face of the container which is disposed adj acent the bead at the end of the body wall. The cover is preferably provided with a depression ,which snugly fits within the bead at the end of the container body. The cover has an outwardly extending iiange which is bent downwardly to form a skirt which slips down over the outside of the bead, said skirt is preferably inturned so as to protect the raw edge of the metal. A sealing material is placed against the shoulder in the body wall and against the lower end of the skirt which is on aline therewith and a sealing strip is applied for securing the cover to the container and sealin the saine, said strip has a portion overlying the cover, a portion extending vertically along the outside wall of the skirt to a point below the same and said lower portion of the sealing ring is turned underneath and pressed against the sealing material for sealing the container.

Referring more in detail to the drawings. the improved container consists of a body portion 1, preferably made of sheet metal and cylindrical in form. To one end of the body portion is attached a closure 2 which is secured thereto by a double seam 3. The other end of the body wall is rolled or curled inwardly as indicated at 4. This forms a bead at the end of the body wall and conceals the raw edge of the metal. This makes a smooth edge at the end of the body wall which is the open end of the body when the container is opened. y It also strengthens the open end of the body so as to maintain it in its rounded form.

The wall of the body portion 1 of the container is inset or contracted as indicated at 5 and this forms a shoulder 6 in the body wall on the outer face thereof which is disposed a short distance from the bead 4 at the extreme outer end of the body wall..

The container is closed by a cover 7. This cover has a depression formed therein providing a vertical friction wall 8 which extends down inside of and makes contact with the inner edge ofthe bead. The cover has a portion 9 which overlies the bead and a depending skirt 10. This depending skirt 10 is folded back upon itself as indicated at 11. The folded skirt extends down outside the -body wall and along the outer face of the bead at the upper end of the body wall. The skirt is of such length that the lower edge 12 there; of is substantially on a line of the outer face of the shoulder 6 in the body wall. A sealing ring 13 is placed against the shoulder 6 and the lower edge 12 of the skirt 10.

The cover is attached to the container body by means of a sealing strip 14, said sealing strip 14 is provided with a projecting finger or tab l5 at one end thereof which is adapted to overlie the other end 16 of the strip when it is shaped into ring form. The sealing strip is bent so as to provide a horizontal portion 17 which extends all the way across the portion 9 of the cover 7. The inner edge 18 of the strip extends slightly downward into the depression in the cover and below the plane of the extremeouter edge of the part 9 of the cover. This strip 14 has a vertical portion 18 which extends downwardly along the outer wall of the skirt 10 and to a dilstance below the sealing ring 13 when it is first applied to the container. The parts described are shown in Fig. 2. 'Ihe ring is held firmly seated against the cover and the lower part of the vertical portion 18 of the ring is turned beneath the sealing material as indicatedat 19 in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As it is turned beneath this sealing material it is pressed upwardly against the same and forces the sealing material into contact with the lower edge portion ofthe skirt and the shoulder portion 6 and in between the skirt and body wall to a sufficient extent to hermetically seal the container. The spinning of theI lower edge of the sealing strip beneath the sealing material and the extending of the horizontal portion thereof all the way across and a slight distance down into the depression serves to firmly hold the sealing strip in place although the ends thereof are not locked together. It will be understood that from certain aspects of the invention other forms of sealing strips or rings may be used but in the form shown and described the ends are not joined but one end is provided with a tongue or tab which overlies the other so that it may be readily grasped and the sealing strip forcibly pulled andremoved from the container. When the sealing strip is so removed it will release its pressure on the sealing material and allow the sealing material to be readily removed and thus break the seal of the container. This has an advantage where containers are put under vacuum as the breaking of the seal by the removing of the sealing strip breaks the vacuum holding the cover on the container and permits the cover to be readily slipped ofi' from the container. There is a suflicient frictional grip between the meta-l parts of the cover and the metal parts of the container body so as to hold the cover in place for reclosure purposes. This frictional grip may be obtained between the outer skirt and the outer wall of the container or between the vertical wall of the depression and the inside of the bead on the body of the container or through both if desired.

y In Fig. 6 of the drawings a slightly 1nodied form of construction is shown. In this form the wall of the container body is outset or bent outwardly directly below the bead formed at the outer end thereof and the depression in the cover snugly lits the inner face of the bead reaching below and contacting with the inner face of the body wall below the bead. In this form of construction the inner edge of the sealing ring is also shown as fluted as indicated at 20. It is the points formed by the iuting of the edge extending over into the depression in the cover that retain the sealing ring in place on the container. This facilitates the removing of the sealing ring as a pull on the sealing ring will bend the points so as to release their gripping` contact with the cover.

It is understood, of course, that this connection of the cover to the container body is made by the manufacturer of the container and is not really the bottom of the container until it is packed with the food product, after which the closure 2 is applied and double seamed to the container. This application of the closure to the container body after it is packed is, of course, made by the packer.

When it is desired to open a container the sealing ring may be readily removed by grasping the tab or linger 15 and with a pull thereon the sealing ring will be stripped from its engagement with the container. The container after it is thus opened may be readily reclosed by slipping the cover back onto the container body where it will be held in place by the frictional grip of the metal parts although the container will not be re-A sealed. e

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Y

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A metal container including in combination a body portion having an offset therein adjacent onev end thereof forming a shoulder on the outer face of the body, a cover for said container having a depending skirt adapted to extend along the outer face of the body wall of the container and terminating substantially at said shoulder, said cover having a depression therein extending into the container, a sealing material engaging said shoulder and the lower edge of the skirt, a sealing member having a portion overlying the cover and extending into the depression in the cover and having a l vertical portion extending along said skirt below the sealing material and adapted to be turned inwardly against the sealing material for firmly clamping the same against the shoulder on the container body andv the edge of the skirt for sealing the container.

2. A metal container including in combination abody portion having the end ofthe said cover flange said' body having a body wall rolled inwardly to form a bead, projectmn serving as a seahngsurface and said body wall below the bead being oiset as an anchorage for the sealing ring for holdto form a shoulder on the outer face of the ing the cover on the can body. y body, a cover for said container having a depending` skirt adapted to extend along the outer face of the body wall of the container and terminating substantially in said shoulder, said cover having a depression therein extending into the container, a sealing ring engaging said shoulder and the lower edge of the skirt, a sealing strip having a portion overlying the cover and extending into the depression in the cover and having a verticalportion extending along said skirt below the sealing material and adapted to be turned inwardly against the sealing material for firmly clamping the same against"thevshoul-l der ofthe container body and against ,the

edge' of the skirt for sealing the container.

3. A metal container includingwhin coml bination a body portion having the end of the body wall rolled inwardly to form a bead and having an Foiset in the body wall adjacent thebead-and forming a shoulder on the outer face of the body, a cover for said container having a depending sln'rt adapted to extend along the outer face of the body wall of the container and make frictional contact therewith, said skirt being bent inwardly and upwardly and having the lower edge thereof terminating substantially at the shoulder, said cover having a depression therein extending into 'the container, a sealing ring engaging said shoulder and the lower edge of said skirt, a sealingstrip having at one end thereof a projecting'tab adapted to overlie the other end of said strip when attached to the container, said sealing strip having a portion thereof overlying the cover and extending into the depression in the cover and having a vertical portion extending along said skirt below the sealing material and adapted to be turned inwardly against the sealing material for firmly clamping the same against the shoulder on the container body and the edge of the skirt for sealing the container, whereby when the strip is removed the sealing material is released and the seal of the container broken and whereby when said sealing stri is removed said cover may be applied to t e container body and serve as a frictional reclosure therefor.

4. A metal container including in combination a body portion, a cover for said container having a depending skirt adapted to extend along the outer face of the body wall of the container, a sealing gasket arranged outside of said container body for sealing the opening between the container body and the cover ange, a metal sealing ring having a portion overlying the cover and a portion encircling and covering said sealing gasket and firmly pressing said gasket into contact with the container wall and ature.

n testimony whereof I aix my si WILL TE.

IAMEP 

